High Court Declares Britain’s Deep Coal Mine Approval Unlawful

London's High Court ruled Britain's approval of a new deep coal mine as unlawful following a challenge by environmental groups. The 2022 approval for the coking coal mine in northwest England was contested due to its environmental impact. The ruling stated the assumption of a 'net zero' mine was legally flawed.

Britain's approval of its first new deep coal mine in decades was struck down as unlawful by London's High Court on Friday, following a legal challenge spearheaded by environmental advocates.

Friends of the Earth and South Lakeland Action on Climate Change contested the previous Conservative government's 2022 green light for a coking coal mine in northwest England. The challenge gained momentum after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year mandated that planning authorities must consider the impact of burning fossil fuels in addition to their extraction when approving projects.

Despite West Cumbria Mining's claim that the project would be a 'unique net zero mine' intended for steel manufacturing, Judge David Holgate ruled that the assumption the mine would not increase greenhouse gas emissions was legally unsound.

(With inputs from agencies.)